Political

Labour donations saga: round-up of the latest key points

1. Labour Deputy Leader Harriet Harman (and former Solicitor General, one of the country’s most senior legal posts and responsible amongst other things for giving the government advice on how to keep to the law) has admitted failing to properly declare the financing for her Labour Deputy Leadership campaign. She extended her mortgage to loan money to her campaign but failed to declare this to the Electoral Commission. The problem? The law says you have to declare such loans.

2. Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander is in trouble over her claim that she had known nothing about Paul Green’s illegal donation to her Scottish Labour Leadership campaign. Why? Because Guido Fawkes has got hold of a thank you letter for the donation sent to Paul Green and signed by, er…, one Wendy Alexander.

3. Jon Mendelsohn and David Abrahams are now accusing each other of lying. David Abrahams says he talked to Jon Mendelsohn back in April this year about giving money via third parties (which would contradict Jon Mendelsohn’s previous statement). Jon Mendelsohn says he didn’t.

Scores so far:

  • One Labour Party, two Labour Deputy Leadership campaigns and one Labour Scottish Leadership campaign have admitted breaking the law
  • One General Secretary and one Labour Scottish Parliament front bencher have quit their posts

All of which rather overshadows Labour’s other problems this week, such as the Labour councillor caught faking 253 letters to newspapers or the Labour councillor losing her appeal over her conviction for smearing her opponent as a child abuser.

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